I'll Love You Forever
by voi ch'intrate
Summary: During a thunderstrom, Edward reminisces about his love for his daughter, wife and about fatherhood in general. Based on the book "I'll Love You Forever" by Robert N. Munsch.


**I do not own Twilight nor I'll Love You Forever.**

_**ATTENTION!** _**_¡ATTENCIÓN!_ This story has BREAKING DAWN spoilers. I don't know if everyone has read Breaking Dawn yet, so if you haven't consider yourself warned that this story contains spoilers.**

**

* * *

**

**I'll Love You Forever**

Her head was crowned in petite, bronze ringlets. Her eyes were closed and fluttering beneath the lids as she dreamed. Her dreams fluttered behind my eyes, she was harder to understand when she slept. I just saw flashes of her subconscious, faces without a plot. I smiled as she mumbled in her sleep and rolled over, sighing. A habit she had inherited from her mother.

She was so perfect. I laughed quietly to myself. I forced myself to remember those first few days I knew of her. My thoughts were so wholly consumed by Bella and the broken shards of her life that I'd been blind to her. My daughter.

She was so absurd. Never in my life—existence—had I ever dreamed of such as this. Fatherhood was a delusion I had long ago resigned myself to thinking impossible. I had my wife, and my brothers and sisters, even my parents; they were supposedly all the family I would ever need. And yet, I'd never even realized that I was still incomplete. I never gave a thought to the strange fissure in my dead heart that not even my Bella could fill.

I scoffed when I thought of my original seething hatred for this little girl. She was my demon, summoned to strangle any happiness I had. I had been stupid to think that she would kill my happiness. She only added to it, and made my happiness more abundant. Every smile, every laugh, every word, every thought, everything she was and would be would be my joy.

I rocked back in the old, wooden rocker Charlie had been so kind as to give us. It seemed to be a habit of mine, sitting in this specific chair and watching my girls sleep. This had been the spot where I sat when my Bella had first, consciously, told me she loved me. Those three, little words were the electric shock strong enough to restart my cold, dead heart.

I remember with amazing clarity the very same words coming from my daughter's dainty lips. Ever since the day of her birth, and before even, I knew that she loved her mother and I. But she'd never said so in words.

With her amazing gift, as well as mine, I could tell how her heart would swell when we held her close.

But one day, I sat there in that rocking chair, enjoying the relative silence. The sun was setting and the glow from the sun made my skin shine faintly.

The sound of uneven footsteps made me smile involuntarily.

She came into her room quietly. I could hear Alice depart silently through the cottage's front door. It had been an Aunt Alice and Nessie 'bonding day'. My daughter's wardrobe had taken a blow from her most recent growth spurt, and Alice had taken it upon herself to replenish the supply of designer Garanimals. She was returned to my wife and I hungry, tired and dressed better than a runway model.

I opened my eyes and watched her dance over to me. I held perfectly still. She placed her hot, little hands on my knees. She wore a flannel nightgown, and smelled like strawberry shampoo. Her long, ruddy curls were hampered down with water, leaving a trail of wetness down her back; remnants of her most recent bath-time.

I heard Bella in the kitchen, cleaning our already immaculate home and inconspicuously giving us our alone, father-daughter time.

Nessie crawled into my lap gracefully, settling herself into the lay of my arms. She was still small enough that she could nestle her head beneath my chin. We rested like that for several moments before I heard Bella heft her shield away from her mind.

"Bedtime," her musical voice sounded within the recesses of my head before we lapsed back into our comfortable silence as her shield settled back into place.

I could hear her dawdling in the kitchen, giving us several more minutes of solitude before she came to tuck Nessie in.

Nessie patted my cheek impatiently, her fingers lingered there and I turned my head to kiss the pads of her fingertips. She smiled and nuzzled into one of my shoulders. Her thoughts were focused on me singing. I sighed; she had such a one-track mind, quite similar to her mother.

I pulled her tightly against my chest, using the balls of my feet to rock us back and forth. I began to hum the lullaby I composed for her. Lullabies seemed to be my forte ever since I'd been with people who actually slept. As much as I loved my vampire family, they really didn't need lullabies. It soothed me to be able to sing someone to sleep.

Bella came and lingered at the doorway. She softened as she stood at the threshold, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the melody as much as our daughter. The tune came to its final notes, and I stood, lifting Nessie into my arms. She grabbed my collar as I was about to heft us from the chair.

She patted my cheek and I looked down at her.

"I love you, Daddy," she said in her sweet soprano. Bella was smiling hugely and I was completely dumbstruck. I unthinkingly bent my head to plant a kiss on her scorching cheek and then rub my nose against hers. She wiggled her face back and forth, returning my Eskimo-kiss.

I picked her up and tucked her in. Kissing one cheek as Bella leaned in and kissed the other. I thanked God that night for my vampiric memory. Because I could always carry the lilt of her voice when she said my new name: Daddy.

I found myself in that rocker countless times, watching my sweet daughter sleep. She was still tossing and turning, saying things. "Mama, Daddy." And occasionally, "Jacob." The latter of which, I was less than enthused about. Jacob's imprinting compulsion had been the bane of my existence for the last three years. It was horrific enough to have had to hear his lewd thoughts about my wife—but now my daughter. I understand that as a male, it is difficult to reign in such compulsions; but, he could have some decency.

Lightning struck the ground about four miles from the house, followed by the earsplitting crack of thunder. Nessie whimpered and twisted under the covers.

Her brown eyes flew open and she stared at me.

"Daddy," she whimpered, her bottom lip trembling in a very Bella-like fashion, something that alerted me to the forthcoming tears.

I was at her bed faster than Jasper could whistle Dixie, and cradled her safely in my arms. She buried her head against my neck and cried out every time the thunder rumbled. Her ears were just about as sensitive as mine; but, it seemed to be something my little one feared. She smiled as I pulled a quilt around her and went to sit in the rocking chair.

Bella was standing quietly in the doorway. "I'll go get a glass of warm milk," she said, a smile hidden behind her worry.

I rocked back and forth, focusing on the sound of her humming, little heart and the creak of the old wooden rocker. The thunder could have been nonexistent as far as I was concerned; but it seemed to be a thorn in my daughter's side, so I had to eradicate it.

Too bad my power was over the mind and not weather. I sighed and let my lips brush back a stray curl of her hair, soothing her by humming her song again. She shivered whenever thunder struck and I bent my head to kiss her little ears.

Bella returned with her disgusting-smelling milk. I rather doubted that Nessie would suffer through drinking it, but it was worth a try. Bella offered her the mug and she shook her head, scrunching up her nose. Thoughts of vomit and nastiness splayed through her sweet mind. I smirked, and Bella shook her head but couldn't keep from smiling.

"Nessie," I whispered, "it's just thunder; it won't hurt you."

She was silent but her thoughts were skeptical. I sighed and leaned back in the rocker, it groaned and shuddered as I rocked back and forth back and forth.

I tried to think of something to sooth her. My eyes scanned the innumerable books on the shelves of her room. Like her mother and I, she was an accomplished reader. I remembered one book in particular that I had always liked—even though she had thought it was too short, and not complicated enough. It had a song it in.

I sighed softly and started crooning the song to her.

"I'll love you forever," I said as the rocker pushed forward, "I'll like you for always," the rocker slide back in one fluid motion, "As long as I'm living," I always liked that part of the song—I'd live for a very, very long time—and then thunder shattered my rhythm like a punk band who had an overabundance of drums. So I started over: "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."

Her thoughts were complacent and hued pink as she smiled at my song. I continued to sing it for her, even after her little lavender eyelids dropped over her eyes, I did not stop singing.

Bella stood in the doorway.

"It's morning," she said softly, "The storms stopped about three hours ago."

I stood silently and laid my little daughter into her bed, and pulled the covers up under her chin. I placated her hair one last time, before kissing her porcelain brow and joining Bella at the doorway. She smiled at me.

I returned the gesture and swept her up into my arms. "Shall I sing to you, too, my love?" I asked, kissing her along her jaw, "I wouldn't want you getting jealous."

She giggled softly, "No," she said playing along, "never that." And then she bent her head into mine smiling against my lips as I sang to her, too.

* * *

**This is the very first Twilight fanfiction I ever wrote. It was in existence well before Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (my full-length fanfiction, go check it out if you haven't already!!). I'm actually rather proud of this story. I've always loved the Father/Daughter bond, and I happen to find it very intriguing. I'm a psychology buff. **

**This story is very personal to me for several reasons, one of them being the fact that my mom used to read that book to my sister and I when we were younger (she'd sing the song, too) and the other being that I gave Renesmee my irrational fear of thunder. I used to always snuggle up with my dad whenever it would thunder... I didn't think Edward and Renesmee got enough screen-time in Breaking Dawn, so I gave them a 'moment'. Because I can.**

**The link to the book "I'll Love You Forever" is on my profile. I hope you enjoyed this story. Reviews would be much appreciated!**


End file.
